1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a low coupling force connector assembly in which to one connector (e.g. female connector) are fitted a plurality of other connectors (e.g. male connectors) at staggered times with a slider and, more particularly, to a low coupling force connector assembly which enables to-downsize the slider, but yet requires a reduced force for operating the slider.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has conventionally been used a low coupling force connector assembly in which a plurality of male connectors are driven at staggered times and fitted to an integral-type female connector by means of a slider.
For example, a low coupling force connector assembly as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B has been proposed in Japanese U.M. Application Unexamined Publication No. 54-95894.
In FIG. 7A, the low coupling force connector assembly 100 consists of an integral-type female connector 110, five male connectors 120A to 120E, and a slider 130 slidably mounted on the female connector 110 which, when operated, causes each male connector 120A to 120E to fit into the female connector 110 at staggered times.
As shown in FIG. 7B, the male connector 120A to 120E has a pair of bosses 121, 122 located on each side wall thereof, at different distances from the front end toward the female connector 110. The female connector 110 is formed in each major wall thereof with five pairs of straight guide slits 111, 112 for guiding the respective pairs of bosses 121, 122 of the male connectors 120A to 120E.
Reverting to FIG. 7A, the slider 130 is provided in each major wall thereof with five pairs of cam grooves 131, 132 which receive the bosses 121, 122 of the respective male connectors 120A to 120E and extend transversely to the respective guide slits 111, 112 of the female connector 110. The two cam grooves 131, 132 in each pair are of the same shape and have a slant portion at the same part thereof which has an effective drive stroke S.
The slant portion of the cam grooves 131, 132 is for driving the bosses 121, 122 of the male connector 120A to 120E when the slider 130 is operated. Because the forming positions of the slant portion are different for each pair of the cam grooves 131, 132, the movement of the slider 130 is transmitted to the bosses 121, 122 of each male connector 120A to 120E at staggered times.
In the thus constructed conventional low coupling force connector assembly 100, the slider 130 is assembled to the female connector 110 and its pairs of cam grooves 131, 132 are registered relative to the respective pairs of guide grooves 111, 112, and the bosses 121, 122 of each male connector 120A to 120E are introduced into the inlets of the respective pairs of guide grooves 111, 112 and of cam grooves 131, 132.
If in this condition the slider 130 is pushed in, the bosses 121, 122 of the male connectors 120A to 120E slide in succession along the respective guide grooves 131, 132 of the slider 130 to have the male connectors 120A to 120E fit to the female connector 110 at staggered times.
In the conventional low coupling force connector assembly 100, however, because all the pairs of cam grooves 131, 132 are formed in the same slider 130, it is necessary that the length of the effective drive stroke S for each cam groove 131, 132 be made equal to the entire cam-groove length L/number of male connectors. Consequently, the effective drive stroke S of each cam groove 131, 132 for driving the male connector 120A to 120E becomes short. To cope with this, it is necessary that the cam-constituting slant portion of each cam groove 131, 132 be formed at a steep angle, with the result that the load of coupling the male connectors 120A to 120E, i.e., the force required for operating the slider 130 becomes unfavorably large.
If the entire length of the slider 130 is made large, a wide space can be obtained on the slider 130 so that each cam groove 131, 132 is formed with a longer effective drive stroke S and at a less steep slant angle. In this case, however, there arises a drawback that the slider is upsized.